Rebecca Melone
Managing Partner
Rebecca Melone established Melone Hatley P.C. in 2014 with the goal of helping families with a range of legal services from estate and family law to traffic tickets and misdemeanor criminal matters. Over the past five years the firm has grown and expanded its services to include a wide range of estate and elder law services. Rebecca has been awarded Super Lawyers Rising Stars for 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 and has been named one of the top family and estate attorneys under 40 in Virginia.
A native of Northern Virginia, Rebecca and her husband decided to return to the area after attending law school in Toledo, Ohio. They welcomed their first daughter, Dallas, in July of 2016.
Rebecca currently volunteers with Wills on Wheels, providing important estate planning presentations and services for nursing home residents. She is a member of the Virginia Bar Association and participates on the Board of the Society of Virginia as the Chairman for the Young Virginians.
Charles Hatley
Litigation Partner
Charles Hatley joined the firm in 2020 as the firm’s first Litigation Partner. Charles brings with him an unwavering emphasis on a client-focused practice model. As a Manager at a big-law firm, Charles managed offices in Virginia and New York and litigated a wide array of high value matters throughout Virginia and Washington, D.C. Charles brings his big-law experience and focus into the boutique firm setting in order to better serve our clients.
Through his litigation experience, Charles has gained the insight to advise his clients when to litigate and when to settle. His no-nonsense approach ensures that the client will always fully understand the possible outcomes for litigation as well as any benefits of attempting to settle out of court. Charles understands that cases are won and lost prior to the first court filing and advises his clients on the best ways to avoid litigation, when possible, or ensure that the client is positioned for a positive outcome if litigation becomes necessary.
Charles understands that each case is unique, and the outcomes can have a life-altering impact on his clients. It is this fact that leads Charles to ensure that his clients understand every aspect of their case and are always fully informed.
Melanie Hammelman
Of Counsel
Melanie Hammelman joined the firm as Of Counsel in 2018. Melanie’s primary fields of practice are business law, contracts, copyrights and trademarks, and wills, trusts, and estates. Melanie has handled complex litigation cases and will disputes and has been helping clients form their own businesses for years.
Melanie decided to pursue a career in law to assist others in forming and running their small businesses and assisting in estate planning to protect their carefully cultivated businesses. Melanie’s concentration in law school was transactional business practice and civil trial advocacy. During law school Melanie was a clerk for a litigation firm and served as a mediator in the Houston Metropolitan area.
After graduation, Melanie moved from Texas to Virginia with her husband to begin practicing law. Melanie is licensed in both Maryland and Virginia. She has worked extensively in business law, primarily formations and contract drafting, since 2012 and in trademark and copyright law and estate planning since 2013. Melanie and her husband, who is a US Army veteran, now live in Loudoun County with their two young children.
Shirley Chim
Of Counsel
Ms. Chim’s primary fields of practice are criminal, traffic and family law. Ms Chim defends adult and juveniles charged with traffic tickets, DUIs, misdemeanors, felonies, and also provides representations for individuals with custody, visitation, child support, and divorce matters.
Immediately after graduating from law school, Ms. Chim worked as an in-house counsel and a contract specialist for corporations and advised business groups on various transactional matters related to government contracts, vendors, subcontracts, international business contracts, staffing and IT matters. She was also in charge of negotiating high cost contracts for various customers located in the United States, Asia, and Europe
Ms. Chim received her Juris Doctor degree from Catholic University Columbus School of Law in Washington, DC. and her bachelor’s from American University where she graduated with distinction.
In her spare time, Ms. Chim enjoys traveling around the world. She has lived in Australia and Poland, and visited various countries including Egypt, China, Cayman Islands, Mexico, France, Fiji, Dominican Republic and Japan. She also enjoys time with her husband, son, and two black lab rescues.
